Imitation log siding



April 1934. w. E. BERNHARD 1,953,460

IMITA'IION LOG SIDING Filed June 15, 1932 Patented Apr. 3, 1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIC This invention relates to a wooden siding for buildings and its principal object is to provide a weather-tight board siding for buildings, the siding boards being shaped to simulate logs placed one upon another as in the construction of rough log houses,. this siding being particularly applicable. to the construction of summer homes and the like.

It has heretofore been proposed, as shown in the patent to Cooper 1,496,368 to make such imitation log siding boards from a single board, the board being dressed so as to provide one or more flat surfaces in simulation of the mortar line between logs and an outwardly rounding or semi-cylindrical curved portion in simulation of the logs. This construction, however, has a number of serious disadvantages. Such siding is cut from unfinished lumber and the shaping of it to provide a flat face and a rounding loglike face involves the waste of a large amount of wood. In using rough lumber of standard dimensions in making such siding the size of the log was also limited and if it were attempted to make a large sized log effect, the waste of wood was still greater, the waste of wood increasing out of proportion to the increase in size of the log. Moreover with such a single piece construction of an imitation log siding board, the extent of the overlap of the boards in laying them up was circumscribed by the fact that an increase in overlap either required an increase in wastage or an unreasonable decrease in the width of the flats between the logs which flats formed the imitation mortar lines between the logs.

It is therefore the principal object of the present invention to provide ship lap siding which is secured to the studding'of the building and to secure over this sheathing separate boards which are generally of plane-convex form so as to seal the cracks between the sheathing and to impart a spaced log effect with mortared joints between the logs. By this means the logs can be made of any desired size, the only waste being in the cutting of the log face from a piece of wood and the mortar joints can be made of any desired width, this width being determined by the degree of overlapping of the log facing members upon the separate ship-lap backing boards which form the mortar joint.

Other objects are to provide a log siding which can be quickly and rapidly applied to a building, particularly in respect to painting the mortar lines and also to provide an imitation log siding which is entirely weather-proof and provides adequate protection against both wind and rain.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a wall sheathed with imitation log siding sheathing made in accordance with my invention. 7

Fig. 2 is a vertical section through a wall sheathed and lined with imitation log sheathing made in accordance with my invention and showing the manner in which a full log effect can easily be obtained at windows, doors or the like where both sides of the wall are visible.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view of the log shaped facing forming a part of the sheathing shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Fig. 4 is a view showing the manner in which the log-like face boards can be secured directly to the studding of a building and metal strips placed between them instead of the boards shown in Figs. 1 and2.

Summer homes of the character in which imitation log siding is generally employed are generally of frame construction, the frame including the usual studding 10 to which the siding is applied. It will be understood that, if desired, tar paper or the like can be placed between the studding and the sheathing and also that any suitable insulating board sheathing or the like can be likewise placed where insulation qualities are desired.

In the preferred form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 and 2 the imitation log siding and the mortar joints between the imitation logs are made of two pieces of lumber, the one piece comprising a relatively flat back piece which is secured directly to the studding and the other comprising a rounded piece which is secured to the back piece by means of a tongue and groove connection and also preferably overlaps the back piece so as to provide more adequate protection against the weather. The back pieces 11 of my siding are preferably made from a piece of lumber which is x 8" and is of shiplap form having an outwardly facing groove 12 at its upper edge to the entire exterior surface of the siding. The imitation log boards 16 are then applied. These are preferably made of 2 x 6" lumber and are dressed to provide a rounding exterior face 1'7 and a fiat rear face 18, this flat rear face terminating in an upper tongue 19 which is adapted to exactly fit the grooves 14 provided in the shiplap strips 11 of the siding. The half round pieces of lumber 16 are preferably knotty so as to simulate logs and. are nailed in place by nails 20 which extend through the sides of the pieces 16 and 11 of the siding and into the studding 16. The rounding surfaces of the pieces of lumber 16 are then preferably varnished to provide adequate protection against the weather and at the same time obtain a realistic log appearance.

The grooves 14 in the shiplap pieces 11 of the siding are preferably so placed that the rounding pieces of lumber 16 overlap the lower edges of the next lower shiplap strip 11 a considerable extent as indicated at 21. By this means a double shiplap joint is provided in the siding as a whole, and it is apparent, as shown in Figs. land 2 that this construction provides a very weather-tight siding. It is also apparent that the grooves 14 can be so placed that the log-like pieces 16 will overlap the joints between the shiplap boards 11 any desired extent and thereby permit of any desired weather overlap. It is also apparent that by providing a tongue and groove connection between the log-like pieces of lumber 16 and the shiplap pieces 11 a weather-tight joint is obtained between these two parts of the siding, this tongue and groove connection preventing water from seeping down between these two parts of the siding and causing decay. It is further apparent that by providing the entire exterior surface of the shiplap siding 11 with the coat of paint 15 that this coat of paint serves the dual purpose of providing a seal between the shiplap pieces 11 andthe half round pieces 16 and also provides the mortar between the logs. This paint can be of any desired color but is preferably white, to provide a distinct contrast between the logs and the mortar.

As previously stated, it has been proposed, as shown in the Cooper Patent No. 1,496,368, to make the imitation log siding timbers in one piece as compared with the present two-piece construction. As illustrating the saving of lumber in the present invention a 12 foot length of imitation log siding made in accordance with the Cooper construction would require one piece of 3" x 8" lumber containing 24 board feet of lumber. In making a similar siding in accordance with the present invention it requires one piece of x 8" lumber 12 feet in length (4 board feet) and one piece of 2" x 6" lumber at 12 feet in length (12 board feet), making a total, of 16. board feet, as compared with the 24 board feet required in the Cooper construction. Furthermore, the present siding can be made, of a cheaper size and grade of lumber so that the cost of making siding in accordance with the present invention is approximately one-half of the cost of the siding made in accordance with the Cooper patent.

In Fig. 4 is illustrated a modified form of the invention in which the shiplap backing pieces 11 are dispensed with and are replacedby strips of metal 25 which are arranged behind the rounding pieces. of lumber 16, these pieces of lumber 16 being spaced so that the pieces of metal 25 provide the mortar between the logs. These strips of metal are laid in as the pieces of lumber 16 are laid up and are held in place by suitable nails 26 which extend through the pieces 16 of lumber and also through the upper and lower edges of the metal strips 25. Each metal strip 25 is formed to provide an outwardly extending flange 27, this flange being formed by crimping the metal strip and this flange 27 is formed so as to be arranged against the upper outer edge of the pieces of lumber 16 and prevent the entrance of rain between the metal stripsv and the pieces of lumber 16. It is apparent that this construction provides a cheaper siding which, while not affording the same protection against weather as the preferred form of my invention, is entirely adequate for some purposes.

It is apparent, that the pieces 16 of lumber can be made of any desirable size and rounding form but are preferably made of such size that when applied to opposite sides of the usual 2" x 4" studding 10 their outer faces are substantially concentric, as best shown in Fig. 2. By making the siding in this manner the siding can be used both for exterior siding and interior trim and where, as in a window frame or a door frame, both the inside and outside log siding is simultaneously observed, the siding imparts the impression of a whole log by reason of the concentric arrangement of the pieces 16 both on the inside and on the outside of the building.

From the foregoing it is apparent that the present invention provides an imitation log siding which, by reason of its construction of two pieces of lumber, provides an imitation log siding which can be made of a minimum waste of wood, is entirely weather-proof and at the same time can be quickly and easily applied, particularly in the application of the paint in imitation of the mortar between the logs, this paint being applied in such manner that it also serves the purpose of providing a weather-tight seal between the two pieces of siding. The present invention also permits of the use of the cheapest lumber available for the log-like pieces'of lumber, this being desirable because of its knotty condition, and at the same time provides siding which will not warp out of shape as is the case where cheap lumber is used in a one piece construction of imitation log siding.

I claim as my invention:

1. Imitation log siding for wooden buildings including flat boards each provided at one longitudinal edge with a groove and at its opposite longitudinal edge with a matching tongue said boards being adapted to be secured horizontally to the studding of the building in interfitting relation and a separate board of generally planoconvex log-like form in cross section adapted to be secured horizontally over each of said flat boards and offset relative thereto whereby each plano-convex board overlaps the next succeeding flat board.

2. Imitation log siding for wooden buildings including fiat ship-lap boards adapted to. be secured horizontally to the studding of the building and a separate board of generally plano-convex log-like form in cross section adapted to be secured horizontally over each of said ship-lap boards in offset relation thereto whereby each plano-convex board overlaps the next succeeding ship-lap board.

3. Imitation log siding for wooden buildings including flat boards adapted to be secured horizontally to the studding of the building in edge to edge relation and separate horizontal boards of less width than said flat boards and being generally of plano-convex log-like form, each of said flat boards being provided adjacent the center of its outer face with a longitudinal groove and each of said plano-convex boards being provided at its upper edge with a longitudinal tongue which projects outwardly from its fiat face, said tongue and groove interfitting to provide a predetermined overlap between said flat and planoconvex boards and to provide a weather seal therebetween.

4. Imitation log siding for wooden buildings including flat boards adapted to be secured horizontally to the studding of the building in edge to edge relation, separate horizontal boards of generally plano-convex log-like form secured over the cracks between said fiat boards and in spaced relation to one another and a layer of paint between said plano-convex and flat boards and over the exposed faces of said flat boards, said paint forming a Weather seal between said boards and also simulating mortar between said plano-convex boards.

5. Imitation log siding for wooden buildings.

including matched fiat boards having tongues and grooves at their opposite longitudinal edges and adapted to be secured horizontally to the studding of the building in interfitting edge to edge relation, separate horizontal boards of less width than said flat boards and generally of plane-convex log-like form, each of said fiat boards being provided adjacent the center of its outer face with a longitudinal groove and each of said plano-convex boards being provided at its upper edge with a longitudinal tongue which projects outwardly from its fiat face, said last named tongue and groove interfitting to provide a predetermined overlap between said flat and plano-convex boards and to provide a weather seal therebetween and a layer of paint between said plano-convex boards and over the exposed faces of said fiat boards, said paint forming a weather seal between said boards and also simulating mortar between said plano-oonvex boards.

6. As a new article of manufacture, an imitation log siding member of a wall for wooden buildings, consisting of a board having a convex face extending the length thereof, and an opposite fiat face, one edge of which terminates at the corresponding edge of said convex face, the opposite edge of said convex face terminating in a tongue which projects outwardly from the said flat face.

WILLIAM E. BERNHARD. 

